A problem of conventional substrate materials for electronic devices is that they possess very low thermal conductivities. This becomes a serious problem as circuit densities increase. Electronic device packages with greater circuit densities, because of the heat that electricity generates, produce greater heat densities. This affects circuit performance and may adversely affect entire electronic system operation. Since many military vehicles depend on sophisticated electronic systems that have these types of circuit cooling limitations, solving these problems could significantly improve operational capabilities of these vehicles.
A related problem is that systems that use known substrate materials generally rely on convection mechanisms such as air flow, water flow, or other flow mechanisms for heat dissipation. Relying on these types of cooling systems increases the costs of the electronic systems and may make them unaffordable. Liquid cooling components for these types of electronic systems include pumping stations and cooling towers for convection cooling. Such systems are heavy, complicated, and consume significant amounts of power. These cooling limitations also dictate the location and space requirements for the electronic systems in the vehicle. For aircraft, these considerations directly affect operational and engine requirements as well as the general expense of the aircraft. As electronic circuits become more compact, this system inflexibility may prohibit their practical use on certain vehicles, including, for example, sophisticated military aircraft.